End Back & Neck Pain

If you suffer from back and neck pain, you want answers. You want relief. Now there is one book that brings you both: End Back & Neck Pain.

In End Back & Neck Pain, the leading names in back health join together to provide the latest research, professional insights, and proven programs to prevent and relieve pain and discomfort. You'll get straight answers

Overview

If you suffer from back and neck pain, you want answers. You want relief. Now there is one book that brings you both: End Back & Neck Pain.

In End Back & Neck Pain, the leading names in back health join together to provide the latest research, professional insights, and proven programs to prevent and relieve pain and discomfort. You'll get straight answers to questions such as these:

• Why does my back or neck hurt?• What can I do now to alleviate my discomfort? • How do I prevent my pain from returning?• Could I have a serious or debilitating condition?• Is my doctor properly diagnosing my condition?• Is surgery really my best option?

Through a series of questions, you'll identify the source of your discomfort and determine the best plan of action for relief. You'll learn how simple lifestyle changes, postural improvements, and stretching exercises can keep that pain from returning. Most important, End Back & Neck Pain takes the fear and uncertainly out of your discomfort and puts you in control of your recovery.

Whether this is your first bout with serious pain or a recurring problem, End Back & Neck Pain has insights, answers, and programs that will put you on the path to a pain-free life.

Editorial Reviews

Doody's Review Service

Reviewer: Mark R Hutchinson, MD (University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine)Description: This paperback is a wonderful patient education tool on the prevention, minimization, and resolution of back and neck pain. At $20, it is cost-efficient and provides an in-depth approach for patients to better understand their back and neck pain, the treatments and exams, as well as ways to exercise or self-treat their symptoms.Purpose: It is clear that this book targets patients, but not patients who are just given an exercise program, rather patients who want to better understand and be actively involved in reducing and treating their pain. With this approach, the authors provide more depth for patients than the usual patient handouts and educational materials.Audience: Patients suffering from back or neck pain are the intended audience, but I believe a secondary audience is clinicians who treat these patients. I could see clinicians purchasing copies to make them available to their patients at cost. The diverse authors (a neurologist, a physical therapist, and a world-renowned spine surgeon) provide an open-minded approach to treatment options.Features: The four key sections are "Why Does It Hurt?" which explores the signs, symptoms, and underlying anatomy and pathophysiology; "Helping Yourself" on issues ranging from basic first aid to lifestyle choices to reduce the risk of back and neck problems; "Working with Your Doctor" about what the doctor is going to do to make the diagnosis, along with suggestions for finding a good doctor; and "Exploring Surgical Options" an overview of surgical options, indications, risks, and benefits from a patient's perspective. This is a wonderful concept and presentation and I believe it will be well received by patients. It might have sold more copies if the demonstration images were in color rather than black and white.Assessment: This is a wonderful reference for patients, and one that clinicians who care for these patients should make readily available. It provides a bridge between simple exercise handouts and the complex jargon of medical journals. I think your patients will love it.

Meet the Author

Vincent Fortanasce, DPT, is ranked as one of the best medical specialists in North America and has treated such high-profile individuals as Pope John Paul II and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda. Over nearly four decades, Dr. Fortanasce has helped thousands of people as a world-renowned neurologist and rehabilitation specialist. He has appeared as a medical expert on 60 Minutes, The Today Show, Dr. Phil, Dateline, CNN’s Paula Zahn Now, Hard Ball with Chris Mathews, XM satellite radio, and scores of national and local television and radio shows. Fortanasce is a regular spokesperson for the California Medical Association at the senate and legislature assemblies and has been quoted in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Time magazine, and many other prestigious publications. He also hosts his own syndicated radio program, St. Joseph’s Radio Presents.

David Gutkind is a doctor of physical therapy and an orthopedic clinical specialist. During his professional career, he has specialized in ergonomics as a treatment intervention for both the cause and prevention of musculoskeletal injury to the lumbar spine. He has taught ergonomics at the university level, provided on-site training programs that emphasize spinal care and injury prevention at the corporate level, and conducted hundreds of individual and group training classes on lumbar lifting and body mechanics techniques. Gutkind lives in Southern California and continues to practice orthopedic physical therapy along with ergonomic instruction.

Robert Watkins, MD, is a spine surgeon and codirector of the Marina Spine Center at Marina Hospital in Marina del Rey, California. His expertise ranges from innovative spine surgeries to treatment of sport-related injuries. In his practice, he treats collegiate, professional, and Olympic athletes across the United States. He has served more than 25 years as a spine consultant to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Kings, the Los Angeles Angels, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, and golfers on the PGA Tour. He has extensive experience in spinal surgery and postoperative rehabilitation of professional athletes, returning most athletes to full performance. As a surgeon, he has participated in more than 11,000 spine surgeries in a career that has spanned 30 years, and he currently completes nearly 250 surgeries a year. He has also developed an extensive coordinated core nonoperative program of rehabilitation without surgery.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Very easy to read with simple asnwers to all the questions you might have on neck and back pain. Since I suffer from lower back pain, I appreciated the discussion of the many different options ranging from therapy to surgery. Having more knowledge about my condition helps me make a better decision for me. A definite read for those who suffer with a back problems.

J_Fairley-DPT

More than 1 year ago

"End Back and Neck Pain" is clearly laid out, easily understood and contains a wealth of knowledge. As a Physical Therapist I am very familiar with treating spinal pain and this book is an excellent reference. It is written from a unique and powerful perspective; a patient who is seeking to help oneself. From this vantage point the book covers everything from the symptoms, down to the anatomical structures and physiological processes that cause the symptoms. The book covers various well established interventions, all the while giving guidelines a patient to select the most probable self care solutions. It is further refreshing to see the collaboration of health professionals who treat spinal pain who understand that there is a role for conservative care, medications and injections, surgery and even learning to live with a chronic condition. I will be using the book as a quick reference as it has great tables and illustrations. I will also recommend this book to my patients as it is like a handbook for managing both low back pain and how to optimally navigate our health care system to get the most beneficial care for a challenging problem.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

I recently finished reading End Back and Neck Pain. I thought the information was laid out clearly and I learned several things from this book I hadn't known before.
First by breaking down the different kinds of pain I was able to evaluate the kind of pain I experienced. The explanation of how the body's bones, muscles and nerves are connected and how pain is felt helped me understand what I needed to do to help myself. The section on when to apply heat and ice was different than what I always understood. Stretching and exercising has always been a weakness for me and as I age I am feeling that the time is now to make this a regular habit. There are 33 pages of pictures and easy to follow instructions on a variety of stretches and exercises.
Controlling factors like diet and nutrition, weight, sleep, smoking and stress help to contribute to overall health. Some of the most helpful chapters were about body mechanics and ergonomics. Putting the body and your equipment in the best possible positions to reduce body pain and mismanagement is extremely important.
Having been to several doctors regarding my pain and injury I know how important it is to choose the right caregiver and to be able to communicate your needs. It is important to ask the right questions and feel that your doctor is listening to your concerns. Communicating how treatment is going and the effects of medication is each patient's responsibility. In the end I opted for surgery and for me it was the right choice, but I did not use exercise and stretching in my regular daily habit after the initial period of rehabilitation. I see now where I can benefit from ongoing stretching and exercise.

twylyghtbay

More than 1 year ago

Highly recommend this book. Exceptionally user friendly. End Back and Neck Pain by Vincent Fortanasce explains sections of the spine, how each section works and how to strengthen each section in a manner which nonmedical readers can easily understand. It explains the infomation a patient needs to keep track of to provide a doctor with sufficient records to make a correct diagnosis and recommendations. This book is very useful.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

Great book!

kssunflowerOP

More than 1 year ago

If you or someone you love experiences acute or chronic neck or back pain, you need to buy End Back & Neck Pain by Fortanasce, Gutkind and Watkins. It not only helps you understand your symptoms, distinguishing between those which can be improved with self-care and which need the expertise of a specialist, it also helps you determine the best doctor for your needs and how to interface with him or her. You will also learn what to expect if you need to have tests run or surgical procedures.
I wish this book had been available a few years ago when both my husband and I had to undergo months of suffering culminating in nerve block injections and painful therapies. The knowledge in this book would have relieved our anxiety and helped us avoid some unnecessary costs. The authors explain diagnosis and surgical procedures with both text and photos, and charts of what to expect after each phase of the process. They will give you the knowledge you need to be an informed patient, more fully involved in your care. The more you know, the less fear you have and the more able you are to cope with what is happening within your body and to you through treatment.
The book is divided into four parts: understanding your pain, minimizing or avoiding pain through self-care, choosing the best doctor and treatment when self-care is not enough, and understanding why advanced treatment such as spinal injections or surgery may be necessary. Throughout the book, the emphasis is upon helping you understand what pain is, how to avoid it, how to cope with it when it cannot be avoided and, when coping techniques are not enough, how to select and work with a surgeon.
What I was most impressed with is the amount of information in this book that empowers you to understand neck and back pain and how to understand the process that medical professionals use to help us cope with or heal the problems causing the pain. You learn about physical therapy, the usefulness of medications, adapting your environment to make movement easier, and surgical options that might be necessary when all else fails. Most importantly, you learn how diagnoses are made, how to describe your pain effectively and how to communicate with your physical therapist, primary care physician or specialist so they will more clearly understand your pain and be able to assist you in coping with or overcoming it.
The more you know, the better your chances are of achieving a pain-free life. The better you communicate based on that knowledge, the faster and more effectively your medical team can help you. This book is the key to achieving those goals. It is packed with clear explanations, charts, photos and checklists. If only I had had this book years ago, I could have saved myself and my husband from needless fear, pain and ineffective treatments. I would have known enough to understand what we needed, how to select the best doctor and physical therapy team and how to avoid re-injuring ourselves. At least now, thanks to Library Thing's Early Review program, I was lucky enough to read this book and am now armed with the knowledge to help myself and my husband in the future.

Anonymous

More than 1 year ago

This book was easy to read & found the exercises & information very useful.